Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 207

An unbeatable presence.

This was the sentiment of the Awakeneds after witnessing Zeon’s might.

The sight of hundreds of Orcs being swept away and turned into bloodied sand by a sandstorm was a tremendous shock to them.

Even a hammer blow to the back of the head would not have been as shocking.

No matter how strong an Awakened was, they couldn't withstand a massive assault from monsters.

Even Urtian, leading the Red Storm, would have been killed if he fell among so many Orcs.

That was their understanding of the world. But Zeon's prowess completely shattered that understanding.

Even Eloy, who knew Zeon’s true potential to some extent, shook her head in disbelief.

“That insane man! He turned the Orcs into dust.”

She, too, felt a shiver down her spine.

The scene she had just witnessed was that shocking. Just imagining herself caught in that sandstorm made her shudder.

‘Even I would have been turned into bloodied sand like the Orcs if I got caught in that storm. It doesn’t make sense that a human can wield such a skill. What rank is he, really?’

He was a being of a different league.

At least S-rank.

This was the conclusion Eloy reached at this moment.

She bit her lip until it bled, so shocked was she.

“Raaah! Human.”

If it weren't for Ashanka's furious roar, Eloy and the other Awakeneds might have stood there in a daze indefinitely.

Ashanka's roar snapped them back to reality, making them realize the battle wasn’t over yet.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Ashanka swung his battle hammer with terrifying force.

His eyes were bloodshot with rage.

He had witnessed his subordinates being turned into bloodied sand in an instant.

“How dare you! How dare a mere human...”

Though he was facing Urtian, his gaze was fixed on Zeon.

Even while fighting Urtian, he saw everything Zeon did.

The sight of hundreds of Orcs turning into bloodied sand in an instant was also a huge shock to Ashanka.

Any being with a semblance of reason would naturally feel fear. But Ashanka was an Orc.

He knew how to turn fear into fuel for his rage.

Roar!

Ashanka’s battle aura surged explosively.

“Ugh!”

Urtian, who had been fighting him evenly, was temporarily pushed back.

With the explosive increase in power, Ashanka attacked Urtian.

“Get out of my way! Human.”

Boom! Boom!

Ashanka’s battle hammer rained down like a storm.

Urtian blocked all the attacks with his shamshir. However, he couldn't completely mitigate the shock.

Even among melee weapons, the destructive power of a battle hammer and a shamshir was incomparable.

The battle hammer, which concentrated all its force on one point, had a destructive power that a shamshir couldn’t match.

Moreover, its mobility and agility weren’t lacking.

Ashanka’s immense strength allowed him to wield the battle hammer as lightly as a toothpick.

Ashanka tried to shove aside the obstructive Urtian to charge at Zeon. But Urtian couldn’t let Ashanka run amok.

He had to deal with Ashanka himself.

It was his belief that any group could only be maintained when the leader had strong charisma.

If he showed weakness to Ashanka here, not only the Red Storm but even the original residents of the Steel Fortress might doubt his leadership.

To prevent such a scenario, he had to defeat Ashanka.

“I didn’t want to reveal everything here, but I have no choice.”

Urtian gathered all his remaining mana. The surrounding air resonated with his mana, creating a hum.

Hum!

The Elves lost much when they came to Earth.

They lost their spirits and much of their unique magic.

The greatest loss was their noble pride and purity.

Elves no longer lived like Elves, having become too worldly to discuss purity.

It was an inevitable choice for survival.

Elves betrayed each other, stole food, and abandoned their young.

Urtian was one of those abandoned Elves.

To survive, he did anything, and through that, he discovered his hidden ability.

It was real magic.

Not the wind cutters used for restraint, but genuine magic.

The problem was that using this magic left him bedridden for at least a month due to the aftereffects.

That’s why he refrained from using it even when fighting Lee Ji-ryeong.

But now wasn’t the time for calculations or considerations.

It was time to give his all.

“Hiyaah! Wind Spiral Spear!”

Instantly, spears of wind formed behind him.

The wind spears were spinning rapidly.

Whoosh!

The rapidly spinning wind spears had a destructive power beyond ordinary magic.

They devoured Urtian's mana in chunks.

There weren't just one or two wind spears behind him.

There were twenty wind spears spinning, waiting for their master’s command.

“Go!”

At his will, the Wind Spiral Spears shot forward.

Ashanka also concentrated his battle aura on his hammer, unleashing a skill.

“Explosion of Death!”

The battle aura on his hammer exploded right in front of him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The skills unleashed with full power by the Orc and the human collided in mid-air, causing an even bigger explosion.

Rumble!

The underground chamber shook as if it would collapse at any moment due to the massive shock.

“Captain!”

“Damn it!”

The Awakeneds stared wide-eyed at the clash between Urtian and Ashanka.

Dust and flames rose, obscuring everything. But even within the flames, Urtian and Ashanka continued to fight.

The explosions coming from the flames proved that.

Boom!

A particularly loud explosion echoed. Then, as if it were a lie, all noise ceased.

“Urtian!”

Deborah was the first to run to where Urtian was fighting.

Urtian was on his knees, vomiting blood.

His condition was dreadful.

His chest, struck by the battle hammer, was caved in, and his shoulder and leg were broken and dangling.

His entire body was soaked in blood; it was a wonder he was still breathing.

In front of him stood Ashanka, who had gone berserk.

Ashanka was in much better condition than Urtian.

There were hardly any visible injuries on him, making it hard to believe he had just been in a fierce battle. But there was a wound.

On his chest.

A long, thin sword piercing his chest.

It was Urtian's shamshir.

Ashanka bared his yellow teeth and spoke.

“Ha... a swordsmaster?”

“Yes, you Orc bastard.”

“To think that I, Ashanka, would die to an Elf.”

Ashanka’s massive body staggered.

Urtian's shamshir had pierced his heart.

No creature could survive with a pierced heart.

Ashanka was no exception.

Thud!

He knelt on one knee.

Even in that state, Ashanka glared at Urtian.

“Just because you killed me doesn’t mean it’s over. Human! Our Orcs never forgive those who kill our young. The Great Chieftain will avenge me and the young Orcs.”

“So, the Great Chieftain has risen?”

“He is... many times stronger than me. He will wipe out all the humans on Earth.”

The light of life was fading from Ashanka's eyes.

Yet he laughed.

His expression sent chills down Urtian’s spine.

Thud!

Finally, Ashanka collapsed, dead.

“Waaah!”

“We won.”

“We killed those filthy pigs.”

Cheers erupted everywhere.

The Awakeneds and residents of the fortress together shouted in joy.

Ashanka had been the last Orc.

All the other Orcs had been killed by the Awakeneds.

Though the streets were filled with Orc corpses, the people ignored them and celebrated their victory.

Zeon climbed back into the fortress and observed the scene.

It had been possible because of his help, but these people had admirably defended their home.

They deserved to enjoy the joy of victory.

“Hyung!”

“Zeon!”

“Ugh! I'm exhausted.”

Levin, Brielle, and Eloy gathered around him.

Their bodies were also covered in Orc blood, but their expressions were bright like everyone else's.

Zeon asked them.

“Is everyone okay?”

“Nothing serious.”

“Just minor injuries.”

“I’m fine, but I could use some rest.”

Eloy sighed and sat down heavily. Levin and Brielle quickly sat beside her, leaning on each other for support.

Zeon also sat down with them.

“A storm has passed.”

“It’s not completely over.”

“You mean the Great Chieftain?”

“Yes. With the rise of the Orc Great Chieftain, this place is no longer safe.”

The Great Chieftain who sent the Orc army to avenge the young Orcs.

Now that he had lost all the troops he sent, his reaction was predictable.

He would either send more troops or, in the worst case, come himself.

Even Urtian, the strongest Awakened in the Steel Fortress, struggled against Ashanka.

They didn’t know what abilities the Orc Great Chieftain had, but he was surely stronger than Ashanka.

Moreover, Urtian was severely injured.

If the Orc Great Chieftain attacked now, not only Urtian but all life in the Steel Fortress would be wiped out.

The Steel Fortress was a cradle of new life.

It was a place where humans, Elves, and hybrids could live together.

He couldn’t allow such a place to be trampled by the Orcs.

“I’ll have to meet the Great Chieftain.”

Whether they could communicate was another matter.

* * *

In Kurayan, most Elves lived in the forests.

The primeval forests, off-limits to humans, were the Elves’ sturdy shield.

In the vast forests, the Elves thrived, maintaining their purityand growing in numbers.

They believed they could maintain their purity and nobility forever. However, that confidence was shattered when they came to Earth.

In the desertified Earth, Elves could no longer maintain their purity.

There were no lush forests to protect them, no readily available fruits to pluck and eat.

Hunger spares no one.

Starving Elves began eating meat.

Maybe because of the meat, their nature became more aggressive.

Desert-adapted Elves turned into warriors.

They built villages in the desert, hunting monsters for survival.

They made clothes from monster hides and ate monster meat.

People called these Elves "Desert Elves."

Desert Elves were warriors who could face a hundred enemies.

Although they couldn't actually fight a hundred at once, they could certainly take on several awakened humans.

Desert Elves settled far from human civilizations, forming prosperous villages.

The Desert Elves here were no different.

Over a century, their numbers grew, forming a large tribe.

Nearly a thousand Elves lived in the middle of the desert.

Having built a self-sustaining ecosystem, the Desert Elves now faced a challenge for the first time in a hundred years.

"My God!"

"Orcs..."

Orcs were approaching the Desert Elf village.

An innumerable army.

At the center stood an exceptionally large Orc.

The Orc Great Chieftain, Orca.

Orca gave the order.

"Kill all the Elves."